BMW 320 years to avoid: the later ones
Based on 37,658 real MOT tests from DVSA records. Each year is compared against every other car first registered the same year — otherwise the numbers would only tell you that older cars fail more, which you knew.
The short answer
Avoid 2020. The worst is the 2020, which fails its MOT 30% more often than other cars of the same age. The 2016 is the strongest, failing 31% less often than average.
Found a BMW 320 you like?
Averages tell you what to expect. Its registration tells you what actually happened — every MOT, every advisory, and whether the mileage adds up.
Every 320 model year
Shaded rows are the years that differ most from other cars of the same age — worse, better.
| Registered | MOT tests | Fail rate | vs same-age cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3,231 | 11.7% |
31% better
|
| 2017 | 14,047 | 11.1% |
23% better
|
| 2018 | 9,134 | 10.0% |
17% better
|
| 2019 | 7,055 | 10.3% |
about average
|
| 2020 Worst | 4,191 | 11.9% |
30% worse
|
How this is worked out
Every MOT test recorded by DVSA in 2023 on a BMW 320, grouped by the year the car was first registered. Retests are excluded, so a car that failed and was fixed still counts as a failure. Each year's rate is then divided by the rate for all cars first registered that year — so 120 means 20% more failures than its contemporaries, not 20% more than a brand new car.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.